


He Could have Faked It

by Ferith12



Category: DCU
Genre: Angst, As in nothing happens, Drabble, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, In third person so they aren't even really thoughts, No Action, just thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 07:56:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7524664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ferith12/pseuds/Ferith12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He told himself it was because Tim knew him to well, because he knew he couldn’t hide what a mess he was from Tim, not long term.<br/>	But that was a lie</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Could have Faked It

He told himself it was out of respect.

When he gave Damian Robin, when he took it from Tim without so much as asking, without so much as _telling_ him.He told himself it was because Tim knew him too well, because he knew he couldn’t hide what a mess he was from Tim, not long term.

But that was a lie.

Dick could have faked it.He could have faked it, because for as much as he loved Tim as a brother, and for as much as Tim adored him, for all the time they’d spent together, training, patroling, simply hanging out, they hardly knew each other.And Tim still worshiped Dick, still always was quick to assume his lies were genuine, still trusted him, was sure he would never break.

So Dick could have faked it.Probably.But it would have been hard.And always, always along the way would be the chance, the all too likely chance, that Tim would see, that all that pure, strong, worshipful trust would be shattered.Because in the end Dick wasn’t good enough.Not even close.And in the end even he couldn't lie hard enough, couldn’t keep up the act.

But Dick could have faked it.Even though it would have been hard.Tim would be watching, always.Because that was how Tim was, Tim would watch and he would be so sure, so sure that Dick would be there for him.Tim would be so sure that Dick would be there for him to lean on.Not because Tim would ever dream of being a burden to anyone, not that blindly self-sacrificial boy, but simply because that was what Dick Grayson _was_ to him.Strong, dependable, always.And Dick would have had to keep that image, because it was what Tim saw when he looked at him no matter what.

Dick could have faked it.Because faking was what he was good at.He could have kept up the smiles, with fracture lines Tim would never see.He could have been strong on the outside, because it was what Tim needed, because it was what Batman was. He could have pretended, 24/7, that he was okay.

Dick could have faked it.But it would have destroyed him.

So he destroyed Tim instead.


End file.
